1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system and an image reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is an image forming system such as a digital copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile, which includes an image reading portion for reading an original image, and an image forming portion for forming an image on a sheet based on image information read by the image reading portion.
In a case of forming an image on a sheet by the image forming system, an original conveying portion conveys an original to the image reading portion. After the image reading portion reads an original image, the image forming portion forms an image on the sheet based on the image information. Then, after forming the image on the sheet, the sheet is ejected to a sheet delivering portion.
When a user operates a copying machine as an example of the conventional image forming system so as to perform a copy process, the original is put on an original table or in an original feeding apparatus that constitutes the original conveying portion so that the copying operation (image forming operation) is started.
When an original is copied, a user may forget to take out the original before or after the copying operation, or a printed sheet that is a resultant. If the user leaves the original or the resultant, information leakage may happen particularly in the case where the left original or resultant is a confidential document that should not be read by another person.
Therefore, in order to prevent the information leakage caused by the left original or resultant, i.e., to secure concealment of the original or the resultant, some of the recent copying machines have an original storage portion for storing the original after reading images (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-108796). In addition, some of them have a concealing portion for concealing from a third party the resultant on which confidential information or the like is copied and which is delivered from the copying machine (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-98379). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-334722 describes a structure including a confidential original paper feeding portion to which a confidential original is set, a confidential original delivering portion for delivering the confidential original from which images are read, and a confidential delivering portion for delivering sheets on which images about the confidential document are formed.
In the conventional technique described above, the security during the copying operation is secured, but confidentiality cannot be secured when the user takes the confidential document to the copying machine or takes the confidential document from the copying machine. In addition, a paper feed stacking portion and a delivery stacking portion for a confidential document should be attached to the copying machine though they are rarely used and occupy some space that is not normally necessary.